What's next for Facebook? Just taking over the whole internet by putting Facebook features on any and all web sites that want to add them, through a program they're calling Open Graph API. From Facebook's developer page:

The Open Graph API will allow any page on the Web to have all the features of a Facebook Page. Once implemented, developers can include a number of Facebook Widgets, like the Fan Box, or leverage any API, which enable the transformation of any Web page so it functions similar to a Facebook Page.

For example, AwesomeTees might decide that strategically they would like to locate their brand identity at awesometees.com. AwesomeTees will install the Fan Box widget, which will allow any Facebook user to "Become a Fan" of AwesomeTees, thereby establishing an official connection to AwesomeTees. The user will then have AwesomeTees listed in their list of connections on their profile as Pages are represented today. Additionally, any content that AwesomeTees publishes on AwesomeTees.com will show up in the stream on Facebook like it normally would. And, any time the user searches on Facebook, AwesomeTees will show up in the typeaheads and prominently in search results.

This will be big. Open Graph API is scheduled launch in Q2 of 2010.

"Grandpa, what was Earthstock like?"

"Well, honey, a coalition of youngsters called Consequence built a virtual National Mall — like the one they have in Washington D.C. — so all of us would-be activists could rally for environmental change without missing a day of work."

"Were there lots of people there?"

"Oh yes. People from all over the world logged into Facebook and Twitter to attend. All they had to do was post about Earthstock and they would appear at the Mall, like magic."

"Bor-ring. That sounds like how you and grandma vote for the President."

"Yes, honey — but it wasn't always like that. Now finish your cereal."

I had to post this since we're all Austinites writing from the heart of downtown. Governor Rick Perry threw up a note explaining the 1.4 Million-dollar incentive the state of Texas wants to offer Facebook for building their new office in Austin. Yee haw!

The was something new in my Google search this morning, a social circle. Google moved Social Circle out of the Labs and into Beta a few weeks ago, but I came across it for the first time today.

Running into this as the average user might, gave me some insight, mainly because the Social Circle links were the first ones I clicked on. I felt comfortable and confident clicking on the links because I had already pre-approved these people/companies in other parts of my internet life. It also made me realize how important social media marketing is going to become — gaining Facebook friends is soon going to lead to gaining clicks on Google.

Carnegie Mellon Professor Jesse Schell gives us the numbers behind Facebook games, and what lies ahead. It's a good video for those of us who don't know the impact of Facebook on gaming, and for those that do.

Big Spaceship kills it again with Corpsify, an addictive social game that breathes new life into an old pastime for all you budding Surrealists out there on Twitter and Facebook. Want in on the beta? Follow @corpsify to get the password.

Created by Online Education

From "Whip It" and "Watch Us Work It" to Pee Wee's Playhouse and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the men of Devo have always been good at marketing subversive ideas to impressionable young minds (even if the band itself hasn't risen to great commercial heights as a result). No wonder creative shop Mother took a page from W+K London's book and branched out with Mothersbaugh & Co. as its flagship client.

Conspiring with Warner Bros. Records under the guidance of Devo Inc. COO Greg Scholl, these neo-corporate monoliths have concocted De-Evolution 2010, a campaign designed to bend the collective will of consumers everywhere in service of the band's forthcoming CD release. Judging from the initial response to the Devo Color Study on Facebook and Twitter, this time the de-evolution will be internalized.

Yet another interesting social offering from Twitter is "Mob the Rainbow."  The first mobbing effort was initiated via Facebook and called fans to shower an unsuspecting meter maid with love in the form of printed and hand delivered Valentines.  More than 40K fans participated, and the delivery of their love notes by a Skittles cupid was documented in a web video.  I'm eagerly awaiting the next mobbing...

Sysomos, a social media analytics company, examined nearly 600,000 Facebook Pages and came back with some interesting numbers.

The most interesting bits of info (for me) are:

• On average, a Facebook Page has 4,596 fans. Four percent of pages have more than 10,000 fans, 0.76% of pages have more than 100,000 fans, and 0.05% of pages (or 297 in total) have more than a million fans.
• Facebook Pages with more than one million fans generate significantly more content than the average Facebook page: three times more content created by owners/administrators, and 70 times more content created by fans themselves.
• The average page has 26.8 pieces of non-stream owner-generated content (photo albums, videos, links, notes and favorite pages). Among pages with more than one million fans, the average page had 70.4 pieces of owner-generated content.

This says two things to me: 1) having a significant amount of content on your Facebook page is very important, but some of that content should be created by fans 2) while the focus should probably remain on wall posts, other type of content creation (photos, videos, etc) should get some love too.